Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Recurrent MDD Patients With Residual Symptoms: Alterations in Resting-State Theta Oscillation Dynamics Associated With Changes in Depression and Rumination.
Jing Wang, Feng Ren, Bingling Gao, Xin Yu
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2022 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.818298 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 26 |
| Population | Recurrent major depressive disorder patients with residual symptoms despite current antidepressant treatment |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Electroencephalography Major depressive disorders Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy Residual symptoms Rumination Theta rhythm |
| Key points | After 8 weeks of MBCT, participants showed reduced depression, enhanced adaptive reflective rumination, and increased resting-state theta power and phase synchronization. Increased theta phase synchronization between right occipital and right prefrontal, central, and parietal regions was associated with reduced depression, and increased left parietal theta power was associated with improved reflective rumination. |
Abstract
Many patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) suffer from residual symptoms. Rumination is a specific known risk factor for the onset, severity, prolongation, and relapse of MDD. This study aimed to examine the efficacy and EEG substrates of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in alleviating depression and rumination in an MDD population with residual symptoms. We recruited 26 recurrent MDD individuals who had residual symptoms with their current antidepressants to participate in the 8-week MBCT intervention. We evaluated the efficacy and changes in the dynamics of resting-state theta rhythm after the intervention, as well as the associations between theta alterations and improvements in depression and rumination. The participants showed reduced depression, enhanced adaptive reflective rumination, and increased theta power and phase synchronization after MBCT. The increased theta-band phase synchronizations between the right occipital regions and the right prefrontal, central, and parietal regions were associated with reduced depression, while the increase in theta power in the left parietal region was associated with improvements in reflective rumination. MBCT could alleviate depression and enhance adaptive, reflective rumination in recurrent MDD individuals with residual symptoms through the modulation of theta dynamics in specific brain regions.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on depression, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- EEG-based investigation of effects of mindfulness meditation training on state and trait by deep learning and traditional machine learning Frontiers in Human Neuroscience August 31, 2023
- Effects of self-help mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on mindfulness, symptom change, and suicidal ideation in patients with depression: a randomized controlled study. Frontiers in Psychology 2023
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression after traumatic brain injury: responders’ characteristics The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist 2025
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